Effect of Farmers’ Organization-based Extension on Service Delivery and Livelihood: Case of Smallholder Dairy in Bangladesh

The main focus of this article was to examine whether or not there are comparative advantages of farmers’ organization-based (FBO) extension service over services provided by other agencies. “Advantage” here means demand driven, effective and sustainable extension services. The approach here was to review published work and unpublished documents with a thematic approach. The content and context of free public extension and paid FBO-based extension in smallholder dairy systems of Bangladesh were examined. The impact of the services on farmers’ quality of life was also examined. Considering the global evidence, this article recommends that vigorous and market-oriented dairy cooperatives, with honest and efficient leadership, can create an advantageous alternative to the weak State-provided extension services. Such cooperatives can promote agricultural growth and rural development as well. The sustainability of those FBOs which are self-organized and address strongly-felt needs was high. The sustainability of those cooperatives which were hurriedly-organized by external actors was less so. The authors recommend a special dairy development plan of the Government organized around cooperative extension, can offer training to the staff and interest free credit to the farmers, for establishing processing plants to promote sustainable dairy farming and improved livelihoods.